Salmon Fly-Fishing. 



97 



plication of the butt soon tells on 

 his strength, and keeps him well 

 in hand. There is quite sufficient 

 excitement in the play generally 

 without encouraging these long ex- 

 cursions, which serve the salmon's 

 purpose more than .the angler's. 

 The first intimation of being 

 played out shows itself in a 

 golden flash in the water. It is 

 an unfailing signal of distress, 

 caused by the fish turning on his 

 side from exhaustion. At this 

 stage he will generally submit to 



fly is very likely to fasten in the 

 mesh. Let him alone till he 

 comes to the top and puts up his 

 head. In this position a salmon 

 generally allows himself to be 

 dragged along the surface some 

 distance. It is a chance that 

 should be seized as a favourable 

 opportunity of landing him. A 

 mouthful of fresh air seems to 

 act like a drug, and for the 

 moment paralyses his energies. 

 Another way of exhausting him 

 is to turn his head and bring him 



A SALMON POOL IN THE RIVER MAIGUE, ADAIR. 



being winched in. If he does not 

 come to the surface, no attempt 

 should be made to land him. He 

 is not ready yet, and plunging the 

 net under the water is worse than 

 folly. A clever gillie sometimes 

 gaffs a salmon in such a position, 

 and there may be special reasons 

 for doing so. All the same, it is 

 risky, as the casting line is in 

 danger of being gaffed instead of 

 the fish, and with fatal results. 

 But no one should attempt to net 

 a fish under water. The spare 



straight down stream. This 

 movement acts upon the gills, and 

 sets up a process of drowning. 



It often falls to the angler's lot 

 to have to land his fish unaided. 

 A gaff in this case is the handiest 

 weapon. It should be held firmly 

 with the point turned down. The 

 fish should be guided up stream so 

 as to drift back with the current 

 close to hand. When the salmon 

 comes within reach the gaff is 

 passed over, and as near to the 

 back without touching it as 



